Conversation Between The Tears!

The moment the baby comes out of the mother's womb and steps in this world, it cries. The same baby, when becomes an adult and deals with the challenges of life, he cries. That adult, towards the end of life, when he meets the physical and mental pain, he cries. People cry out of emotions which could be pain, hatred, anxiety, etc. But there are times when people cry out of empathy, love, separation and sometimes because they have been strong for too long. Let's witness a story of a true Spiritual Master and his disciple who once cried a lot out of separation. When the disciple and the Spiritual Master could not talk to each other, their tears dropped into a conversation which was very deep and heart touching.

Once upon a time there was a Spiritual Master who used to live in a small village in India. Devotees would come to listen to his spiritual discourses from different parts of the world. Being a True Spiritual Master he would enlighten people by initiating them into the science of Self Realisation. The Master would give all his time to his devotees by guiding them through the spiritual path, and helping them attain peace. Devotees loved their Master so much that for his one glimpse they would spend hours and sometimes days together; and they would feel themselves to be the luckiest ones on Earth if the Master smilingly looked back at them. For devotees who were close to the Master, eating food and drinking water was not as important as seeing him and paying salutations in his lotus feet every day.

For the benefit of one and all, for the benefit of mother Earth, the Master once went into a deep state of meditation. In order to make sure that the Master is not disturbed, nobody was allowed to see or meet him. The Master who used to guide his disciples through spiritual discourses, whose guidance was sought for every activity in the ashram, took to the silent mode. The disciples could not think of anything else but to practice meditation as was taught by the revered Master himself. To stay away from the Master was a testing time for all his devotees. They would miss talking to him, but simultaneously tried to be strong and focused on the activities they were supposed to do as a true disciple. Days, months and years passed by, but the Master was still in deep meditation.

One of the disciples, whose name was Vivek was really close to the Master. As taught by the Master, Vivek would not just do his routine practice of meditation and selfless service religiously, but also encouraged other disciples to stay motivated and united. Vivek was very enthusiastic and strong, mentally as well as emotionally. Rather than drowning himself in the pool of sadness, he preferred spending his time practising every single commandment of his Master. Once, Vivek went to his Master's room where he saw a chair, which was nicely decorated but was lying empty for years. That was the chair on which the Master used to sit and guide his disciples. Near the legs of the chair was placed a small, round, saffron-coloured cushion, on which the Master used to rest his lotus feet. Finding himself alone in the room, he sat down near the cushion and started cherishing the golden moments he spent with the Master.

In no time, the otherwise strong Vivek was all in tears. Unable to control his emotions, resting his forehead on that cushion, he cried out from a choking throat, “Oh Master, I can't be strong anymore; please come back.” Thinking that the Master is not happy and that's the reason he is not talking to him, Vivek cried even more. He thought whether his Master would also miss him! For about an hour Vivek cried and the entire cushion became wet with tears. Nobody came to console him. Not even the Master.

Vivek somehow tried to control his emotions and returned to his room. At night, when he slept, he was blessed with a beautiful, divine vision. He saw that every single tear drop that came out of his eyes reached the Master, whose eyes were also wet in love for his disciple. No words were exchanged but the Master's and disciple's tears went into a conversation…

Disciple's tears: Oh Lord, the pain of separation has grown so much that now a river can be formed out of me. Please come back my Master.

Master's tears: Do you know where this river of tears is heading to?

Disciple's tears: No Master.

Master's tears: Like any other river, it's going to meet the ocean.

Disciple's tears: Which ocean, Master?

Master's tears: It's the ocean where my tears reside. Unlike the river of your tears, it does not flow from my eyes, but it certainly stays there.

Disciple's tears: Ocean of tears in your eyes, Master? But why?

Master's tears: Do you want to know how this ocean was formed? …I gave everything I had to my disciples because I love them with all my heart. I gave them the most precious knowledge of Brahm Gyan without actually testing their will and without considering their past karmas. I easily gave them the Divine Eye, which could otherwise be earned only after so many years of true discipleship. I never asked for anything in return but I always had a hope. A hope that one day my disciples would understand me and the importance of the Knowledge I have bestowed upon them. This ocean of tears in my eyes is formed from those hopes which have remained unfulfilled for decades.

Disciple's tears: O' Master, please don't lose your hope from us. We will not hesitate even if we have to put our lives at stake to fulfil what you have desired from us.

Master's tears: I have full faith in my disciples. At present, I may be physically away from all of you, but I am with each one of you. Every single feeling that rises in your hearts is reaching me. When my true disciples offer salutations in my feet with an unshakable trust and without an iota of doubt in their mind, when they cry in my remembrance, tears well up in my eyes too! As such, this ocean is a mix of both types of tears.

When Vivek got up in the morning, these words were still echoing in his ears, 'I have full faith in my disciples…' These words infused in him a new zeal and spirit to walk steadfast and fulfil the hopes of the Master from his disciples.